He is Risen

Happy Easter

I'd like to think the sunrise service had a view like the above - but this is the moor. After a clear night we had a foggy damp walk up to the edge of the moor for an early communion and it looked more like this-

A Variety of Walks, Variable Weather and Vicarious Work

The Lakeland at Beardown

What a Holy Week! The weather has changed from summer, shirtsleeves sunshine to sleet and snow, with autumnal fog in between. Today we are back to the damp conditions that are warm enough to encourage the Spring flowers to try again.

The Curate has been unexpectedly busy as people have been unwell. There have been services every evening so I have encouraged him to get out and walk in the afternoons. We have managed to  mark off a few more Tors on our map of Dartmoor, despite the weather. 

After such a splendid walk last Sunday, Monday's destination could have been a disappointment but this wasn't the case. Dartmoor is dramatic when the weather is unsettled, the clouds roll over the hills and threaten rain and drama. The showers can be seen in advance falling on the distant Tors so it makes us quicken our pace.

We decided on Beardown - not too far from a track where we could leave the car - in case we had to make a run for shelter. Once you are above the trees there is  little protection 

from the elements on this part of the moor. 
 It is part of the army firing ranges and so it is not always accessible to walkers.                We checked that there was no firing before setting off. Almost immediately we were met by a farmer on a quad bike who told us he was bringing the sheep off the moor so he asked us to step off the track while the sheep went by. The Collie was very impressed by the working dogs - who took no notice of our pampered pets! In  the past the farmers would have been on horseback. Last year we met a farmer who had farmed the moor all his life. He reckoned he had had his first pony at the age of three and ridden down into the town when he was old enough to start school, leaving his pony at the home of a convenient aunt. Quad bikes have replaced ponies now on the farms - and they looked a pretty exciting ride!

The Tardis looking hut on the edge of Beardown was evidence of the army's use of the moor as a training area. There are signs warning you not to touch any suspicious objects - try telling The Collie that!


We were pleased that The Lakeland managed to walk with us today. While she can be reluctant to do the early morning walk these days, she still enjoys Dartmoor and continues to amaze us with her agility and determination.

We watched the clouds begin to billow up and the rain begin to fall. You can literally see the showers coming towards you on this open moorland. It was time to head back to the car.


On Wednesday there was fog so The Curate and I checked the map for unvisited tors that were not too far from a road. The fog changes the atmosphere and character of the moor into a sinister and soulless place. If it isn't blanket fog, it swirls around you and one minute there are glimpses of a watery sun and the next - you cannot see fifteen foot in front of you.  

 

















In these the conditions the huge granite boulders and the towering tors are intimidating. We were very unadventurous and only walked across to Black's Tor. The fog cleared for a bit and we were rewarded with a view of the Meavy valley which you cannot see from the road. We walked down to the river and promised ourselves that we would walk this valley on a clearer day.
Good Friday saw the return of clearer weather and The Curate and I were up early to take our coffee and Hot Cross buns out onto the moor before the church services. Combestone Tor is the most accessible tor for visitors and the parking area was empty when we arrived. It is a great place to take less mobile visitors as you are high up and can see into the far distance - and sit in the car!! As a result of this - it gets busy and this was the case when we came down from our walk to Holne Ridge.

Horns Cross

We passed Horns Cross which was thought to mark the monks' way to Buckfast Abbey (I think). Holne moor is scattered with the remains of ancient hut circles and cairns - evidence of the past inhabitants of the moor.

The Collie in the entrance to his hut circle

Higher up there is evidence of the tin workings that used to provide employment in the area. The open cast mines are now overgrown and look like old river valleys - until you realise how many there are.                        Time for our coffee and hot cross buns and time to enjoy the space and silence (except for the skylarks that would streak suddenly upwards from the moorland in front of you -  singing their loudest songs in the clear blue skies).

And time for one last game with the rubber ball The Collie managed to find on a seemingly empty moor!

Good Friday

Creativity - The Other Half of my birthday (01/04)

Have climbed to the roof top of Devon on Sunday morning, The Curate and I returned to an excellent Sunday lunch in a pub, with Youngest Son and his girlfriend (NQT). Inspired by our trip to the David Hockney exhibition, I had decided that the afternoon was to be spent being creative as NQT had given me four small canvasses and some acrylic paints as a Christmas present. Until now they had not been used. If you are ever stuck for a family present, - this is a brilliant idea. None of us claim to be artists but enjoyed the challenge of being creative. The concentration, the re working, despair, laughter and discussion made for an excellent afternoon's entertainment. 

We were also joined by my eldest son and his girlfriend in Australia - we put the web cam on, and they watched 'the therapy session' thanks to Skype! 

I would also recommend the paint app for an ipad that David Hockney used to create some of his work.

  It provided some light relief when inspiration failed!

None of the artists claim that their work is complete - so another afternoon has been planned. Watch this space!

A little Closer to Heaven in Devon

It was Palm Sunday yesterday and as a Curate's wife, I should have been in church. I could have been processing with a donkey or I should have been singing worship songs. But I was singing praises from the rooftop of Devon! It was my birthday and the most beautiful sunny morning. Dartmoor, with its vast open spaces and stillness, called. The Curate and I were up before the crowds and I proved (to myself) that I am still young enough to climb to the top of the highest Tor on Dartmoor (Yes Tor) which is 619 metres above sea level. It is not the highest point on Dartmoor, Higher Willhays is supposedly a metre higher ...but that doesn't rate as a Tor - just a high hill. So The Curate, The Collie and I climbed up and down before lunch and before the day walkers arrived.

We crossed the dam at Meldon reservoir, looking across it's inky blue surface to  Dartmoor. Walking across the dam you see a serene water scene on one side and a deep valley on the other. It makes you appreciate how deep the reservoir must be.  The air was clear and cool, perfect walking weather and  we were alone.  We had to be back in time to have lunch with younger son and girlfriend (NQT), so we set off with a good pace over Longstone Hill.

It was one of those walks where you had to stop and stare, if only to catch your breathe as you are climbing upwards for most of the way. As the early mists cleared, the views were breath taking. We thought that we might be able to see the North coast and our old home. It was truely awe inspiring!. The moor is empty here, there is little gorse and no trees. The Collie still managed to find a tennis ball which he insisted we threw for him all the way up and down Yes Tor. 
 







There is such a sense of peace on a day like this ... .  

What a great way to start a birthday!

An April Surprise!

What an unexpected April surprise from Shirley our garden sheep!

London again - parakeets, parks, Portobello, Picadilly and David Hockney

 The Curate and I have escaped from Devon again! We have been to London for more exploring. With a little more time than the last visit in November, we managed to walk from Tower Bridge along the Thames to Westminster,then to Picadilly and lunch in Chinatown. This was a continuation of the walk we made last time and we were determined to walk rather than take the tube. it is surprising how short the distances are when you are above ground! And we had to remember to look up - there is such a wealth of detail and history if you just remember to look up (but mind the lamp posts!)
The real highlight of our trip was seeing the David Hockney  exhibition at the Royal Academy. His paintings are of the changing landscapes of East Yorkshire but we saw similarities to the landscapes we know and enjoy. The sheer scale of his work is incredible - the vibrancy and vitality of the colours are stunning. His use of an ipad, instead of the traditional canvas, certainly challenges the conventional approach, as does his use of colour. I found it a very stimulating exhibition and everyone around us seemed to be smiling.

The Curate and I walked back to our apartment in the warm evening sun, stopping only at a deli to buy our supper. It was unseasonably warm . London is full of foreign students at the moment and when we stopped for a while in Trafalgar Square, we were surrounded by a cacophony of languages. By the time we reached home, we both felt that all our senses had been totally saturated.

How do you follow a day like that? For us it was with a walk through Notting Hill to Portobello Road Market. Although it was not a proper market day there were a few interesting stalls and we enjoyed exploring a part of London neither of us knew. The rest of the day was spent people and parakeet watching in Kensington Park. We were fascinated by the parakeets that have settled in London - and, as a non-native species, they are not always welcome. But they looked so exotic as they darted amongst newly budding horse chestnut trees  - you don't get them in Devon......yet!  
 
(And the sky really was that blue!)